George Museum

Description

George Museum is a cultural history museum located in the town of George, Western Cape, South Africa. It preserves the history of the town of George with a special focus on the timber industry. It also houses an art collection. The museum was started by Charles Sayers, in 1967 in a single room in Courtenay Street. The museum is now housed in the building the first magistrate, Adrian van Kervel built as the Drostdy (residency) from 1812 -1815.

The George Museum strives to make the community more aware of their heritage and to give them a better understanding of their environment through its exhibitions. The museum endeavours to collect and exhibit assets that portray the cultural heritage of George and surroundings. It traces the history of the town to its origins as a DEIC (Dutch East Indian Company) outpost established in the Southern Cape in c. 1777. It soon became the hub of a flourishing timber industry. The museum’s main exhibition theme of " Indigenous Woods and Associated Industries of the Southern Cape" focusses on the timber industry of the Southern Cape and the role the industry played in the history of George. The Timber theme is unique in the sense that no other Southern Cape museum has a wood theme as the main theme.

Art exhibition in the Sayers Hall

The Sayers Hall is now an Art Gallery. Presently, selective works from the collection of the Western-Cape Library Service, featuring prominent South African artists, as well as a collection of 2010 soccer memorabilia, also by South African artist are on view.